Oh yeah, one other thing

So why blog beyond the purely egocentric desire to write and have readers? (Hi readers!) That's a question to be explored in detail another time, but it does lead me to this: Part of why I blog is to have a forum for different kinds of writing - essays, rants, and short pieces of more creative writing, like the piece that follows. I wrote this years ago and still like the images. And in case anyone cares, I hold the copyright to this piece of writing, and all writing on this blog.

Vaseline

She leaned forward, her voice low, conspiring.

“When I was a little girl,
I ate Vaseline.
I loved the smooth oiliness of it,
and the smell of a hundred million years ago.

“Later when I grew up and read
about oil workers coating their lips
with the jelly surrounding the pump piston

“I remembered the taste of it.
Thick and rich and soothing between
tongue and palate. Coating away any leftover bitterness.”

She leaned back, her lips
glistening, and
smiled.

(c) 2007 Laura Packer